The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-07-31
SOME NEW BOOKS.
rh,nr. tina, Victor Hugo Saw.

has been published by tile Harpers un-
dor tho title OF Things Seem. Those extracts
begin In 1888. doubtless because tho earlier en-
tries In the authors journal had boon largely
drawn upon By Mmo. Hugo In tho biography
Of her husband which sho began many years
ago, but left unfinished at her death.
They end with some illusions to Theirs
and Rochefort nndor dato OF 1871, put
thero Is nothing about the coup dsfdf OF Do
combor. 1851. tho memoranda relating TO that
subject having boon worked UP by tho poet
himself In his History Of Crime" Such %
thoy are, thoao excerpts have considerable
value considered no historical documents.
They are the records OF the impressions made
on contemporary by eminent persons or Inn
portant oyonts, and they are evidently set be-
fore us Just 90 thoy were jotted down, without
any subsequent comment or manipulation.
For example, In the authors account OF o state
trial, at which he was present not only as
spectator, but as ono Of the Judges. no nnIvely
let's us 500 that his disoornment was not by
any means unerring.
The range OF topics covered BY these memo
randa is singularly wide. stretching from the
funeral Of Napoleon I. and tho H!:ht OF King
Louis Philippe from France to an incident In
tho streets OF Paris which suggested the story
OF Famine in lies Miserables." Tho memora-
bio ceremonies with which tho remains OF Ma
poleon Bonaparte. brought from st. Helena,
were transferred to tho Invaiides, have often
boon described, but mover has the moral and
political Significance OF tho solemnity been
brought out 80 plainly as In these notes
taken on tho spot by Victor Hugo. 1t
was. indeed. o sorry service rendered to
tho July monarchy by NJ Theirs when, carried
away by his admiration for the man whom he
had gloriAed In "The Consulate and En-
pre-" he claimed the body Of the Emperor In
the name Of France. 1t IL manifest from this
account OF the arrangements made that on the
day OF the funeral tho Government was haunt
cd with misgivings lest the assimilation OF
Napoleon should outtax the capacity Of the
Orleans regime. We can now see that
but for tho presence OF tho uncle In
the Invalides, the nephew would never
have been chosen President Of the republic
which no was destined to betray. We quote
only two short passages In Hugo's description
OF what he saw. After observing that tho
spectators on the platforms had been forced to
stamp necessarily with the soles Of thoir boots
In order to keep their feet worm, he points
out that they stopped at the moment
when the catafalque passed before them. Then
only are the feet silent One can tell that
great thought flashes through the crowd
The thought unhappily suggested comparisons
destructive to the Bourgeois Government OF
Louis Philippe. and what made things worse
was the tardy attempt to parry the dangerous
impression. 1T Is certain" wrote Victor
Hugo in his motto book. that all this ceremony
has been curiously like o Jungle. The Govern
ment appeared to fear the phantom which It
had raised. It seemed as though the object
was both to show and to hide Napoleon. Every
thing which would have been too grand or too
touching was left out Of sight. Tho real and
the grandiose wore concealed beneath moro or
less splendid coverings the imperial process
sion was juggled into the National Guard. the
Chambers were juggled into the Invalides. the
coffin was juggled into the cenotaph."
OF Tslleyrand. who died about two years be-
fore Napoleon was buried In the Invalides.
Victor Hugo records the curious fact that the
doctors. after embalming tho body, left on
the table tho brain" that brain which had
thought 80 many things, inspired 80 many
men. erected 30 many buildings, led two
revolutions, duped twenty kings, hold the
world. The doctors being gone, ser
want entered: he saw what they had left.
'Hulloal they have forgotten this What was
to DO done with it3 1t occurred to him that
there was sewer In tho street; he went there
and threw the brains into this sewer"
The genesis Of Famine" is thus recounted;
how closely the novelist adhered to the data
furnished by his observation will be patent to
the reader. 1t was an evening In January;
Victor Hugo had been dining with Nine. do
Girardin in the Rue Lafltte 1t was showing In
large fakes. He was. waiting on the sidewalk
for cab. whom he saw q young man well and
stylishly dressed stoop and pick up a great
handful Of snow and put 1t down the back Of
woman Of the town who stood at the corner Of
the boulevard in a low-neoked dress. The wo-
man uttered . piercing shrek. fell upon the
dandy. and struck him. The young man
returned the blow, and the battle went
on In crsscendo to such extremities that the
police hastened to tho spot; they seized hold
Of the woman and did not touch the man. To
her protestations that she was not the aggres-
scr. their reply was: Come. move on; you will
have six months for this business" She was
dragged to O police station. but Victor Hugo
followed. and % he was then q peer Of France
his signed testimony was accepted as conclu-
sive by the Commissary. and tho woman was
discharged.
When the Duo de Praslin was tried for the
murder OF his wife by the French Court of
Peers, Victor Hugo was member OF that body.
Under the date Of this event We read In the
diary that "the Duo de Praslin Is q man of
middle height and OF rather commonplace ap-
pearance. He has very gentle but o very
false manner; he has villainous mouth and
q horribly constrained smile; he is . fair. pal
lid man; pale, washed out like an Englishman.
He Ii neither fat nor thin nor good looking,
nor ugly. He has no signs Of breeding in his
hands. which are fat and thick. He has al
ways tho air Of being about to say some
thing which he never does say" The Duchess
Is dismissed with the curt description. good
looking stout woman" but Of Mademoiselle
Deluzy tthe governess for whose sake the MUIR
der was committed, and who afterward mar
ried well-known Americana Cousin, the Acad-
cmician. said to Victor Hugo: "She is q rare
woman. Her letters are masterpieces Of wit
md style. Her interrogatory is admirable: II
you had heard her you would have been aston
1shed. No one has more grace, moro tact or
Intelligence. II sho wishes to write some day
for us. We will give her the Montyon Prize.
For tho rost sho is headstrong and imperious
sho Is a woman at once wicked and charming"
There is good deal about Louis Philippe In
these notes. Perhaps the following Is best
worth quoting: King Louis Philippe said to
me- the other day: i was never In love but